Vietnamese Woman, 31, Arrested for Allegedly Brokering Illegal Work With Forged Residence Cards; Police Suspect 240 Workers and Over 20 Million Yen in Fees
This article organizes publicly available information into a single account. Where it describes an arrest or an ongoing investigation, that reflects only one stage of criminal procedure and does not mean guilt has been established (the presumption of innocence applies). We will update this article as new information becomes available, including the outcome of prosecution, non-prosecution, or trial. This article is not intended to unfairly disparage any individual, group, nationality, ethnicity, or belief, and aims to provide objective, fact-based information.
On October 9, 2026, Tokyo Metropolitan Police's Oji Station announced the arrest of Nguyen Thi Phen, 31, a Vietnamese national and former part-time employee of a staffing company, on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act by facilitating illegal employment of Vietnamese nationals who lacked permission for activities outside their residence status. According to Jiji Press and NHK, she allegedly dispatched a Vietnamese man without work authorization to a parcel sorting center in Misato, Saitama Prefecture, between January and June 2026. The man is believed to have worked using a forged residence card in another person's name that he received from her.
Police regard her as the head of a group that brokered illegal employment, and believe the group put a cumulative total of some 240 people to work illegally over about two and a half years, collecting more than 20 million yen in fees and other payments. TBS reported that the group is believed to have handed residence cards in other people's names to around 250 Vietnamese men and women and placed them with about 50 companies, including major restaurant chains and hotels. Under questioning, the suspect has partially denied the allegations, saying she was simply deceived.
Current status: What the companies that took on the workers knew and whether they bear responsibility, where the forged residence cards came from, and the involvement of other members of the group remain unclear as of this writing. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
On facilitating illegal employment, two operators were arrested in October 2026 over the illegal employment of five Vietnamese nationals at a recycling workshop in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Related article
Editorial Perspective
No decision on indictment has been made at this stage, so this article reflects information from the investigative phase. An arrest is only one step in criminal procedure and does not establish guilt (the presumption of innocence). According to National Police Agency and Ministry of Justice statistics, the number of Penal Code cases involving foreign nationals visiting Japan has risen for two consecutive years since 2023, but remains below its mid-2000s peak (related article). A single case does not necessarily reflect the broader statistical trend; further developments are worth watching.